Shoe heater



June 27, 1933. M- Q JENNlNGs 1,915,365

SHOE HEATER Filed Deo. 6, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 27, 1933. M. O.JENNINGS SHOE HEATER Filed Dec. 6, 1930 Patented June 27, 1933 i lUNITEDSTATES PATENT oFFicE l MELVIN 0.xI'EII'NINGrS,y OF LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 HARRY H. -BECKWITIL GF BROOKLINE,MASSACHUSETTS SHOE HEATER 'Application led December 6, 1930.

This invention relates to apparatus for heating portions of box toesprior to the bed lasting operation. In the manufacture of shoes it iscustomary to use a stiener in the toe to preserve the shape of the toeportion of the shoe and to protect the wearer. Many of these stifenersare made of sheets of fibrous material mixed with a thermoplastic binderwhich at ordinary temperatures is relatively stiff and hard. After theshoe upper, with a box toe stiffener7 has been attached to the last, theedges of ther stiffener which have been turned under ythe last must beheated to enable the operator to make a smooth job of the lastingoperation. It is also usually advantageous to reheat the whole box toestiffener'to some extent to make it set in the desired shape with noresidual tendency to spring back toward its original flat shape. Inheating box toes, the presence of a certain amount of moisture is usualydesirable to prevent overheating the sti'ffeners and to prevent thethermoplastic constituent from frying out7 of the stiffener. On theother hand; with delicate leathers and certain fabrics such as moire,the amount of moisture present must c be very slight, otherwise theupper will be damaged. According to the present invention, I supplyapparatus by which the moisture may be regulated both as to the quantityand as to temperature so that the most delicate leathers and fabrics canbe heated without injury. The apparatus also contains several otheradvantageous features of construction which will be apparent to oneskilled in the art from the description of the invention which follows,and from the drawings, of which,-

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a shoe heaterembodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on a vertical plane of the heater shown inFigure 1.k Figure 3 is a perspective view of the steam box or heaterblock employed in the heater shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Figure 2.

Serial No. 500,553.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the steam boxy shown in Figure 8.

Figure 6 is a sectional View ofthe steam box on the line 6-6 of Figure3.

Figure 7 is a perspective viewv of a modied form of shoe heaterembodying the invention. f

Figure 8 is aV transverse section of the heater shown in Figure 7Figurel 9 is a section on` the line 9-9 of Figure 8. Y

Figure 10 is a section on the line 10\10 of Figure 8.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the steam boX 7employed in the heatershown in Figure Referring tothe drawings `in detail, Figures 1 to 6illustrate a heater comprising an outer housing or casing 10 having anarrow upper portion 11 to receive the toe portions of partlyconstructed shoes for heating. The upper housing 11 has stationary rearand end walls, but the top and front wall are hinged to the lowerhousing so as to swing clear and open up the interior of the upperhousing 11. The front and a portion of the top are normally closed in bya member 12 to which is hinged a top member 13. The latter may beoperated as a damper by a convenient handle 14. The front wall portionof the member 12 has arched openings to receive the toe portions of mensshoes. A masking plate 15 may be located against the outer face of thefront wall, the plate 15 having arched openings of a size to receivewomens shoe toes. This plate may be hinged to the member 12 (Figure 7asby hinges 16 so that it is always at hand when not in use and may beeasily and quickly swung into position. The member 12 may be connectedas by hinges 17 to the lower housing so that this member,V with thedamper 13V and the plate 15, may be swung clear toopen up the upperhousing. y

Within the casing 10 a steam box 20 may be mounted as on suitablebrackets 21. As shown in Figure 3, the front` and rear faces of thesteam box may be provided with a series of ribs 22 which may be arrangeddiagonally across the faces of the box to present of these ribs may becut off to form a longitudinal channel 23 to facilitate the evendistribution of steam which issues through small apertures24in the frontwall of the box near the bottom thereof. The top of the box 20 may beformed with longitudinal ribs 25. Rising from the top. of the boxV theremay be a series of arched walls 26 forming receiving chambers for thetoes of the shoe lasts. The upper portions of these arched walls arepreferably made hollow as at 27 so that steam may be admitted thereinto.

As shown in Figure 4 the walls 26 are cut away as at 28 towardthe rearso as tofacilitate the flow of air and moisture through the heatingchambers and upwardly past the open damper 13. The steam supply may bearranged as indicated in Figure 2, a supply pipe 30 being connected withan uptake 31 communicating with the hollow 27 between the 'double wallsof the top ofthe arches 26. At the further end of the hollow aconnecting assage 32 leads downwardly into the steam iiox 20. TheVlatter is preferablyv formed with a series of'bafiies 33y and 34 which'provide a tortuous passage for the steam back and forth through'thesteam box to a discharge pipe 35. Thus the box may be effectivelyheated, the heat being radiated through from the upper ribs 25 and thefront and rear ribs 22-as well asdownwardly from the topsof the arches26. f

In order to providemoisture for conditioning the shoe toes, steaminay beintroduced through a 'supply pipe 40 into a lower compartment 41of'thesteam box r20, this lowerl compartment being separated fromtheupper part'of the box Aas by a partition 42.` This partition isheated by the'Y steam flowmg through the upper part of the s teambox andthus helps to keep the steam in the lower compartment dry 'and hot, Fromthe compartment 41, the steam issues through apertures 24 into thetransverse channel 23 and thence upwardly through the grooves betweenthe ribsr22. As the ribs 22 are kept hot by the steam in the upperportion of the steam box 20, the steam passing between the ribs 22 issubjected to a further heating before it reachesb the toes of'itheshoesfto bevheated. The steam supply for ythe upper and lower portionsof the steam box may be readily controlled as by valves 43 and 44 in thesteam pipes 30 and 401r respectively.

'Inorder to obtain a supply of air for mixture rwith thev steam and toregulate the amount of air thus mixed withthe steam, the front wall' ofthe casing 10 may-be formed with'a'y series of apertures 45. y Theseapertures 'open' into a chamberV 46'between the front wall 47 and aninner partition 48 which rises'upwardly from the bottom of the steam boxpart way up-its'front fade. Between the walls 47 and 48 a suitabledamper 50 is mounted to control the flow of air through the apertures45. The air passing into the chamber 46 flows upwardly past the damper50 and mixes with the steam rising in the grooves between the ribs 22.This mixture of steam and air thus fiows into the ,forward ends of thearched shoe receiving chambers and impinges on the bottoms of the toeportions of the shoe lasts inserted into the heating chambers. Theportions of the shoe uppers which are turned under the edges of the shoelast and which thus lie against the bottom of the lastare thus heatedbya flow of air and steam which can be regulated yto supply any desiredpercentage of moisture. f At the saine time the tops of the toes arealso heated by radiation from thel hot arched ceiling of the shoereceiving chambers. This heat radiation from above effectively preventsthe condensation of any moisture on the* shoe upper. By manipulation ofthe dampers 13 and 50, and the valves 43 and 44, the moisture andvternperature of the heating devices may besuitably regulated to operatewithV maximum e'fliciency on any kind of fabric used for shoe uppers,including such easily damaged fabrics as artificial snakeskin, moire andthe like. In order to support the heel portions of the lasts when thetoe portionsare projecting into the vheating chambers, I mayy provide asimple rack Vin, the' formvof a rail 51. This rail may bejpivotallyconnected at its ends to a pair of ears 52secured to the rear wall ofthe housing 10. The rail 5l may be adjustably supported at anydesiredheight relative to the shoe receiving openings, as by apair .of brackets53 on. the end walls of the housingV 10. These brackets may each besupported by a spring 54 which presses an upri ht edgeof thebracket'against the rail 51. T is edge, thus presented, is suitablynotched so that therail is adapted to enter any of the notches accordingto the height of adjustment desired. f i l Figure 7 illustrates amodified form of the invention. Theheater shown thereinA comprises ahousing 10 with a narrow upper portion l1 adapted to receive the toeportions of the shoe lasts for heating, and a top damper 13, ashereinbefore described. A masking plate 15 is also provided to take careof womens shoes as well as mens. lVithin the upper housing 11 of thehousing 10, I may attach to the member l2 a series of arched membersforming chambers for the reception of shoe toes to be heated. Thesearched members may be cut away at their rear portion, as at 61, toprovide ample draft upwardly past the damper 13. Beneath the arches 60is a floor 62 which may be provided with suitably shaped apertures 63 topermit the flow offmoist hot air from a compartment below upwardlyagainst the under turned edges of the Shoe uppers on the lasts. The

apertures 63 may be in the shape shown in Figure 9 to followapproximately the outline of the toe of the last, or may be in any othershape desired. The member 12 may be hinged to the lower housing as byhinges 17 so as to be swung clear, if desired, together with the damper13 and the inner arches 60. This exposes the floor 62 for ready accessso that it can be used for conditioning flat boxtoe blanks. Beneath thefloor 62 a steam box 64 is mounted on suitable brackets 65. The box isprovided on its upper surface with longitudinal ribs 66 to increase theradiating surface and, front and rear faces with ribs 67 for the samepurpose, the effect being increased by arranging the ribs diagonallyinstead of vertically up and down. The bottom face of the box ispreferably concaved slightly as at 68, the bottom being provided with aseries of small perforations 69 through which steam may escape from theinterior of the box. Resting on the bracket is an open top pan 70 inwhich the steam'box rests. The bottom of the pan 70 may be bulgeddownwardly so as to provide a distributing space under the steam box forthe even distribution of steam longitudinally of the box. The steamissuing from the box escapes forwardly under the forward bottom edge ofthe box into the grooves between the ribs 67. As it passes up in thesegrooves, it is heated by contact with and radiation from the ribs. Thesteam thus rising through the grooves between the ribs 67 may be mixedwith a quantity of air which can be regulated by a damper 71. This airmay be admitted through a series of openings 72 in the front wall of thehousing 10, the air entering a chamber 7 3 between the front wall 72 ofthe housing and the forward wall of the pan 7 0. The damp-er 71 may beconveniently adjusted at any desired angle of opening, as by a suitablehandle 74. Steam may be supplied to the steam box 64 as by a supply pipe7 5, the interior of the box being preferably formed with baffle plates76 to lead the steam in a tortuous path starting with the top of the boxand working down to the bottom, where the steam is discharged throughthe openings 69 so that it can travel up the forward face of the kboxand pass into the shoe heating chambers.

I claim: Y

l. A shoe heater comprising a casing with openings in the front wall ofthe upper portion thereof to receive toe portions of shoe lasts, adamper in the top of said casing extending from one end to the otherthereof, a steam box in the low-er portion of said casing, said boxhaving a ribbed front wall and ksteam vents through the lower portionthereof, the lower portion of said casing having a chamber therein infront of said steam box and openings in said front wall leading intosaid chamber, and a damper between said chamber and theupper portion ofsaid casing.

2. In a shoe heater, a steam box having its front wall formed with ribs,a partition member within said box forming separate upper and lowersteam chambers, baille plates in said upper chamber to direct the steamin a tortuous flow, steam supply connections for both said chambers, anda steam exhaust con-- nection for said upper chamber, said box havingvents from said lower chamber at points below said ribs. I

3. In a shoe heater, a steam box comprising a rectangular portion andarched members extending upwardly from the top of said portion to formshoe receiving chambers.l said arched members being double-walled toform a steam jacket above said chambers, a steam supply connection atone end of said jacket, a connecting passage from the other end of saidjacket. to said rectangular portion, a steam exhaust connection leadingfrom said rectangular portion, and ribs on the front face ofsaid'rectangular portion, said box having steam vents therethrough belowsaid ribs.

il. ln a shoe heater, a steam box comprising a substantially rectangularportion with ribs on its front face, a horizontal partition in saidportion forming two separate chambers therein, baffles in said upperchamber to cause circuitous flow of steam therein, a series of archedmembers extending upwardly from the top of said rectangular portion toform individual shoe receiving chambers, the upper parts of said archedmembers having a double wall forming a steam jacket over said shoereceiving chambers, and steam connections for said jacket and thechambers in said rectangular portion.

5. A shoe heater comprising a casing having in the upper part thereof aseries of chambers to receive the toe portions of shoe lasts, the frontwall of said casing having arched apertures therethrough opening into.said chambers, said apertures being of a size to accommodate lasts formens shoes, a masking plate hinged on the front of said casing to swingin front of or clear of said apertures, said masking plate havingopenings therethrough registering with said apertures when the plate isswung to operative position and of a size to accommodate lasts forwomens shoes, a rack extending out in front of said casing to supportthe heel portions of shoe lasts,-and means on said casing for securingsaid rack at selected heights relative to said apertures.

6. A shoe heater having a housing with arched apertures in the frontwall thereof to receive the toe portions of shoes for men, and a maskingplate having arched apertures therein to receive the toe portions ofshoes for women, said plate being hinged to the front wall of saidhousing to be swung into and out of position over thezapertures in saidfront wall. j

7. In a shoe heater, a steam box having a ribbed upper surface, .a hoodover said vupper surface Vforming a chamber yto receive the toe portionof a last, said hood having a rear vent, and means for supplying astream 4of vapor and heated air from below forward v of said surfacewhereby said stream is drawn rearwardly across said surface, said ribsbelng arranged transversely with respect to the direct-lon of flow ofsaid stream.

8. In a shoe heater, a steam box, an arched j acketfover the top of saidbox forming therewith a chamber with a lateral opening to receive thetoe portion of a last, a steam supply connection attached to said jacketat an end thereof, a connecting passage from the remote end of saidjacket to said box, and means for introducing a` stream of vapor and airinto said chamber.

` In testimony whereof I have aiXed my signature.

MELVIN O. JENNINGS.

